The hands continued to pull my leg, dragging me toward the mirror. Despite the situation, I remained level-headed. Ignoring the pain of my hand scraping against the wooden floor, my mind raced as I eventually shifted my gaze to the cloth I had pulled down not too long ago.
Without thinking twice, I extended my hand and activated [Trait Transfer] , a thin dark film spreading across it as it elongated and reached for the cloth. With a swift flick of my wrist, the cloth shot toward the mirror, covering its upper half.
"——!"
The changes were immediate; almost instantly, several of the hands reaching for me faded, and the pull grew weaker. I didn’t waste the chance, kicking off the ground and pushing my body backward.
The Realmwalker didn’t sit idle, reaching for me again and pulling me back, though I barely managed to free myself from its grasp.
Despite this, I didn’t calm down, my breath coming out in ragged gasps as I looked at the mirror ahead, half of its surface covered by the cloth.
Staring at my reflection, I watched it glare back at me, my heart thumping as adrenaline continued to run down my body.
’The Mirror is certainly the anomaly. In fact, if I’m not wrong, it might actually be the main reason behind the disappearances of the people in Point Z. The hands are most likely from the souls that it took in. But still, that doesn’t explain everything.’
Was the mirror behind the thing that sent me to hell?
’No, that doesn’t make sense.’
I knew that my line of thought was correct, but at the same time, there were still a lot of holes.
For now—
’Let me cover the mirror.’
RATTLE! RATTLE!
All of a sudden, the mirror began to rattle. Along with it, the entire house started to tremble, and I heard sounds rising from beneath the floor. People? I didn’t focus on that, keeping my eyes on the numerous hands reaching toward me. Without hesitation, I activated [Trait Transfer] and used the Realmwalker’s second ability.
Immediately, the hands faded from my vision as I sank into the shadows, moving swiftly behind the mirror before reappearing. I reached for the cloth and pulled it tight, covering the entire surface of the mirror.
My actions were swift and decisive, not leaving the mirror a chance to react.
Swoosh!
All seemed to stop in that moment.
Be it the rattling and the noise beneath.
A tense silence followed as I took several deep breaths, staring at the covered mirror in front of me.
’I’ve covered it. Does this now mean that the mirror is contained? ...Or is there something else that I’m supposed to do?’
The silence felt suffocating, and as I held onto the top of the mirror, I didn’t relax my body one bit, quietly scanning every nook and cranny of the room. My vision moved slowly from the wardrobe to the open window, to the door, and across every corner and shadow before finally lowering to the floor, where I took note of something.
Extending my hand as the Realmwalker handed my torch back, I pointed it toward the floor, noticing a faint reflection catching my eye. My gaze momentarily paused at the sight, my heart jolting as I immediately realized what it was.
’Oh...’
My thoughts drifted back to the moment when I threw the chair at the mirror. At this point, the only thing I could do was smile as the fragmented piece of the mirror trembled, and my reflection stared back.
I didn’t move, nor did I flinch. Staring at the broken shard on the floor, I bent down and picked it up.
The fragment trembled under my grasp, my reflection trying to say something, but I ignored it, and—
[Containment Vessel]
I finally used my first node again.
’...I think you’ll do.’
***
She didn’t seem to notice the abnormalities at first.
No... that wasn’t quite right.
Seraphine did notice them. She took note of certain details and kept them in mind. But by the time she moved to act on them, she found herself completely alone.
’...It seems like I’ve been isolated.’
Like that, she appeared to roam for what felt like hours. Whether it was really hours, she wasn’t sure.
Most importantly—
’I’ve been here before. It looks like I’m trapped in some kind of maze. I can’t even sense Paul or the others. This place is interfering with my senses... interesting.’
Rather than being scared or intimidated, Seraphine found this place interesting as she tried to understand the mechanism behind the maze.
"Illusionist Decree? That does seem like the most likely explanation, considering everything I’ve found so far regarding the ano— hm?"
Coming to a stop, Seraphine lifted her gaze and looked ahead. Through the shifting mist, the outline of a large two-story house slowly came into view, its shape looming faintly against the gray backdrop.
Her eyes flickered the moment she saw it.
Something about the house felt... off.
As she stood there, the nodes within her began to churn, reacting subtly as if responding to something hidden beneath the surface.
But it didn’t take long for her to move.
’This is likely the centerpiece of the maze... and most probably where the anomaly behind all of this resides. I don’t know where the others are, but I can assume they’ve either already been devoured by whatever’s inside that house... or they’re still wandering outside.’
With those thoughts in mind, Seraphine stepped forward. Yet for some reason, as she approached the house, a certain figure surfaced in her thoughts. However, she quickly brushed those thoughts aside, finding them ridiculous.
Her hand reached for the cold knob—
And in that same instant, something changed.
"Hm?"
RATTLE!
The entire house suddenly rattled.
Her expression sharpened as she pulled the door open without hesitation, stepping inside. Her gaze swept across the interior with incredible alertness as dark tendrils spread out from beneath her, slithering around the furniture and probing every corner.
Then, slowly—
She lifted her gaze upward.
’It must be there."
With the nodes within her continuing to churn, Seraphine made her way up to the second floor. Each step was light, barely making any sound as she moved to the second floor, her gaze shifting left and right as she took in every detail of the corridor that met her sight.
Then her eyes settled on a single door.
Without hesitation, she began moving toward it.
The closer she got, the stronger the sensation became. She could feel something sinister building up from within the room, pressing faintly against her senses. It was enough to make even her usually calm heart ripple ever so slightly.
But just as she reached the door—
Something changed.
Everything stopped.
The rattling ceased, and the presence vanished. Even the faint noises that lingered in the house disappeared entirely.
A tense, suffocating silence followed.
Seraphine stood in place, her gaze locking onto the door, her alertness rising even further.
’Just what in the world is happening? I’m sure that I felt it. Why is it suddenly gone? Has it realized my presence? No, it should have already been aware from the moment I stepped in. Then...?’
Slowly, she reached for the handle.
After a brief pause, she pulled it open.
A loud creaking sound echoed through the silence.
Craaaaaak—
Seraphine slowly leaned forward, her head peeking through the open doorway as her eyes adjusted to the dim interior.
Her gaze moved carefully across the room. It lingered first on the wardrobe standing against the wall, then shifted toward the open window where a faint breeze stirred the curtains. From there, it passed over the sparse décor, taking in every detail.
Only after scanning the room did her attention finally settle on the figure standing to the right.
He stood there in silence, holding something in his hands, his presence almost blending with the dim lighting.
As if sensing her gaze, he slowly turned his head.
A pair of lifeless eyes met hers.
For the briefest moment, Seraphine’s heart trembled at their gazes meeting. Her grip on the door loosened slightly, her composure loosening slightly.
But just as quickly, she steadied herself, her expression returning to its usual calm.
’What’s going on? This is unlike me.’
Seth’s face quivered before relaxing. At the same time, he smiled.
"Oh."
He casually tossed the item in his hand aside. Seraphine’s gaze followed its movement, her brows slowly furrowing as she caught sight of the shard.
A mirror fragment?
"Looks like you finally found the house."
Pulling her attention back, Seth massaged the dark circles beneath his eyes.
"Well, that’s good. I already took care of things, though."
He pointed at the mirror behind him, muttering, "See this? I took care of it."
Took care of things? Who are you talk—The words never left her mouth as she felt Seth’s gaze once more. Seeing his eyes, Seraphine pressed her lips, realizing that he probably had no need to lie to her.
And at the same time—
BRRR!
At the same time, something in their pocket began to vibrate. They reached in, pulled out a small device, and glanced down at it.
"Ah."
Seth put the device back, his gaze lifting back to her.
"Time really flew by. Honestly, this came at the perfect time."
Putting the item away, he turned his attention to something covered by a large cloth. Looking around and taking several other clothes, he tossed them on top of the item before reaching for it as he lifted it with ease and tucked it under his arm.
"This will do."
Then, without a word, he walked past her, his steps calm and unhurried as he never once looked back.
Seraphine remained where she stood, her gaze lowering to the small item now in her grasp.
A faint glow lit up the screen of the small device, revealing green lettering:
[Gather back. The Congress will be ending shortly.]